SDG 14: Life Below Water

The idea of using Salish Sea as an umbrella-name for the Puget Sound, The Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Strait of Georgia goes back to the early 1980’s.  That was when the science clearly suggested that the combined waters of the three bodies of water, was an integrated estuary and ecosystem. I though the Salsih Sea would be an appropriate name for this body of water. As the name recognition increased over time there was a movement to have the name formalized—first by the US Tribes and CA First Nations (2007) and then in early 2010 by BC, WA, the US and CA.

In 1986 a group of concerned citizens joined forces, launching the Alliance to protect their families and neighbors from the impacts of unchecked oil and gas development. Over the years, the organization grew to address a broad array of issues concerning the quality and protection of regional air, land, and water resources. The Alliance has over 1000 dues-paying members and thousands of supporters who care passionately about preserving the unique qualities of this region. We are supported by eight staff members who add decades of technical and strategic expertise to the cause.

Ocean Alliance was founded in 1971 by renowned cetacean biologist Dr. Roger Payne. Roger’s discovery in the 1970s that humpback whales sing songs was not only a landmark moment for the birth of modern whale biology, but also for the global "save the whale" movement. The haunting and beautiful song combined with its presumed role in courtship connected the public with these animals in an emotional and heretofore unseen manner, raising the public opinion that led to the global moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982.

American Friends of Canadian Conservation accomplishes its land and water preservation mission through innovative partnerships and its ability to access valuable bi-national financial incentives. Qualified Canadian conservation entities identify properties what are high priorities for protection and owned by US taxpayers.

The new Salish Sea Ambient Monitoring Exchange (SSAMEx) represents a forum to harmonize and exchange ambient marine monitoring data in the trans-boundary waters of British Columbia and Washington State.